The Jets are expected to sign former Bills tight end Shawn Nelson on Monday. Nelson worked out for New York last Tuesday. A 2009 fourth-round pick of the Bills had 20 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown in 17 games with Buffalo. Nelson was suspended for the first four games of 2010 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has agreed to terms of a new contract that secures him as the long-term start at quarterback for the Bills, according to a source. The extension is valued at $59 million over six years, including $24 million in guaranteed money, according to multiple sources. Fitzpatrick's contract will average $9.987 million during the six years, but $11 million in each of the first three seasons, which often are considered the critical earning years in NFL player contracts.

Bills safety George Wilson regards Toronto as a nice and diverse place to visit. Just don't ask him to get excited about playing "home" games there. "It's not a home game," Wilson said. Making sure not to knock the city or its residents, Wilson focused his concerns on questioning the loyalty and passion of fans who have attended Buffalo's games at Toronto over the past three years. "Is that a question?" Wilson said, when asked about the support the Bills receive at Toronto's downtown Rogers Centre. "The fan support in Toronto is a night-and-day difference from what we have in Buffalo. For the most part, it's a show. You see just as many jerseys for the opposing teams as you do the Bills. They cheer for any big play regardless of whichever team makes it."

Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman has been placed on season-ending injured reserve because of a right Achilles' tendon injury. It's the same injury that forced Buffalo to place him on IR last November after they signed him as a free agent following his release from the Chargers. "Shawne has worked extremely hard, but unfortunately his Achilles flared back up and it doesn't appear that he will be able to return to the field anytime soon," Bills general manager Buddy Nix said in a statement. "We felt it was in the best interest of our team and for Shawne to put him on IR."

The AFC The Buddy Nix Buffalo Rumblings: “When Roger Goodell spoke to Buffalo Bills fans before the team's home game against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 9, one of the topics that came up quite a bit was the Bills Toronto Series. Season ticket holders are leery of losing more games to Canada and the potential for the team to move to the large metropolitan center permanently.” The Jeff Ireland Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald: “I'm told the Dolphins may have been hurt in a self inflicted way by the lasting pictures of former Florida coach Urban Meyer sharing time on the sideline with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross at Sun Life Stadium Sunday afternoon.” The Jonathan Kraft Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald: “[Don] Shula, the Hall of Famer who coached the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts, knew precisely what Bill Belichick must have been thinking — and feeling — on the sideline as [Tom] Brady broke the huddle with the offense. Shula had the same vibe whenever his former Dolphins quarterback and fellow Hall of Famer Dan Marino needed to stage a comeback with little time on the clock.” The Mike Tannenbaum Brian Costello of The New York Post: “Rex Ryan wants more "Mayhem." The Jets coach said Monday that linebacker Aaron Maybin, nicknamed "Mayhem," has impressed him. "We need to get him on the field more," Ryan said. Maybin has three sacks, tied for the team lead with Calvin Pace. After spending a portion of training camp with the Jets, Maybin was cut and then re-signed after Week 3. In four games, he has made an impact with three forced fumbles.” The Ozzie Newsome Bruce Raffel of Baltimore Beat Down: “The Baltimore Ravens have no one but themselves to blame for their embarrassing 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football in a game that saw them take until well into the second half before they could even muster their initial first down of the game.” The Mike Brown Josh Kirkendall of Cincy Jungle: “Peter King of Sports Illustrated never ceases to surprise me. He'll frustrate me, sure. Barricading endless praise about the Cincinnati Bengals behind miles-thick steel doors thousands of feet deep into the ground that makes a government-built bomb shelter appear as sturdy as sinking feet in the sands of a beach. He'll focus somewhat on the more intriguing stories of the league. And by intriguing, we really only mean the Colts, Eagles, upper East coast teams and Brett Favre. And though he still has the Bengals ranked 15th, he writes one of the most shocking lines in he history of the written word during his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback.” The Tom Heckert Dawgs By Nature: “I know that the Browns offense has been bad the past two weeks. In fact, it has been really, really bad. But I am a glass is half full kind of guy now. I want to talk about the defense. In case you haven't looked, the Browns defense is ranked 4th in the NFL! Seriously! Don't get me wrong, I think ranking defenses by yards isn't the smartest thing in the world, but even going by points, the Browns rank 8th in the NFL.” The Kevin Colbert The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “Quarterback Terrelle Pryor made his NFL debut Sunday in the first quarter of the Raiders' 28-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pryor, eligible to play for the first time this season, lined up as a wide receiver on the Raiders' opening drive with quarterback Kyle Boller in shotgun formation. Pryor went in motion, lined up under center, took the snap on third and one and appeared to run for a first down. But Pryor was called for a false start for not being set for one second before taking the snap.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “This is a question I've been pondering the last couple of weeks. The 2011 Houston Texans defense is legitimately good. It'd be even better with a healthy Mario Williams and a serviceable CB2, but even without those things, the Houston defense is still very solid. If the 2010 Houston Texans defense was a pile of fresh cow dung, the 2011 Houston Texans defense is a garden of blooming jasmine. It's night and day.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “Last night, in the midst of one of the Colts most embarrassing losses all time, Chris Collinsworth made a few comments that should have made fans cringe far worse than the score did. Talking about the anemic Colts offense and the importance of Peyton Manning, Collingsworth said how he hopes Peyton Manning does what is best for him and his future post football because he is still a young guy who has plans and goals he wants to achieve after he's done playing quarterback.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert picked up his first victory, but struggled to do much in the passing game against the leagues third ranked pass defense. It was a combination of poor protection at times, dropped balls (including back to back touchdown passes), and the rookie just flat out missing guys. Thankfully for the Jaguars, running back Maurice Jones-Drew was able to grind out 105 yards on 30 carries.” The Mike Reinfeldt Music City Miracles: “There is so much wrong with the Titans right now that it is impossible to put a number on the things that need to be fixed, but I do think there are three areas where they can make some personnel changes that will might serve as a band-aid for the rest of the season.” The Brian Xanders Troy Hufford of Mile High Report: “For 55 minutes, I sat in boredom and disbelief. Tim Tebow was awful and the Broncos were scoreless. There was a stretch from the 2nd through 3rd quarter where he missed 6 consecutive passing attempts. At the start of the 4th quarter, Tebow had 2 net passing yards. The game was, seemingly, over. There were 5 minutes and 23 second left in the 4th quarter and the Broncos were down 15-0 with the ball at their own 20.” The Scott Pioli Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride: “Chiefs QB Matt Cassel went on 810 WHB for weekly Monday morning appearance and confirmed what we all thought: the Chiefs thought the Oakland Raiders were taking some cheap shots at the end of Sunday's game.” The Al Davis Steve Corkran of The Contra Costa Times: “It was darker than usual in the press room during coach Hue Jackson’s weekly news conference Monday, but that had everything to do with the lighting and nothing to do with a change in Jackson’s typical sunny disposition.” The Dean Spanos John Gennaro of Bolts From The Blue: “Every time someone tells me that they don't like Norv Turner and think "He needs to go", my response is almost always to ask who they would replace him with.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Blogging The Boys: “Following his breakout performance against the St. Louis Rams, DeMarco Murray has been the topic of many conversations. Both nationally and within the Cowboys kingdom, fans and writers alike are mitigating Murray's resounding performance by indicating that it was done against a Rams defense that really doesn't resemble a professional unit at the moment.” The Jerry Reese Mark Hale of The New York Post: “Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara would have been in agony last week if he’d done all the work at practice he did Monday. “Usually by this time last week, after all that activity, my foot would be throbbing,” Amukamara said. “But now it feels pretty good. But I still have to rehab and still take care of it.” Amukamara, the Giants’ rookie first-round pick, broke his foot in his first practice with the team and has missed the entire season. The cornerback worked on special teams and did individual work this morning at practice, though, and said he was totally pain free.” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “When the Eagles traded up to take him at #13 in the 2010 draft, it was clear that [Brandon] Graham's development was going to be a key to the Eagles defense for the next several years. He certainly showed some flashes early last season, but tore his ACL in a week 14 game against the Cowboys and was lost for the season.” The Bruce Allen Hogs Haven: “The 'Cover Zero' defense is something that's been talked about a lot when discussing the Redskins defense. It got a lot of negativity after two key plays we used it in, and it failed (namely, the Rams TD with Brian Orakpo missing coverage, and the 3rd and 21 play against the Cowboys). But I personally, am a big believer in it. As a defense, we are very aggressive. Look at our key players, DeAngelo Hall, LaRon Landry, Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan. All aggressive play-makers for us. I think the Cover Zero suits their aggressiveness perfectly and allows us to really attack the QB and rush his throws. But what exactly is the Cover Zero defense? Let's have a look...” The Jerry Angelo Mark Potash of The Chicago Sun-Times: “Matt Forte leads the Bears with 672 rushing yards (on 124 carries, 5.4 yards per carry) and 419 receiving yards. He leads the NFL with 1,091 total yards. He's the first running back to break the 1,000-yard mark after seven games since 2004. Forte credited his offensive line for his productive night against the Buccaneers, but center and offensive captain Roberto Garza wasn't buying that.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride Of Detroit: “Following Sunday's game between the Lions and Falcons, a couple of Atlanta players accused Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril of taunting Matt Ryan after he was injured in the third quarter. Specifically, Falcons center Todd McClure accused Suh of saying, among other things, "Get the cart." Falcons wide receiver Roddy White also accused Suh of taunting Ryan, and he alleged Avril taunted Ryan as well.” The Mark Murphy Kareem Copeland of The Green Bay Press-Gazette: “Packers coach Mike McCarthy, however, found a new way to show Aaron Rodgers some love. “He is clearly the best decision maker that I’ve been around since my time in Kansas City with Joe Montana. He does not get bored throwing completions and that’s a great attribute to have as a quarterback. He’s clearly in tune with taking what the defense gives you. He has the anticipation, arm strength, dead accuracy to attack the seams. He does a great job of staying disciplined and playing within the offense.” Montana is only a 4-time Super Bowl champion, 3-time Super Bowl MVP and a Hall of Famer.” The Mark Wilf Dan Wiederer of The Star Tribune: “The compliments seemed endless, so much praise flowing toward Christian Ponder on Sunday night that you half-expected the Vikings rookie to leave Mall of America Field carrying a bouquet of flowers from Peyton Manning and a collection of balloons from John Elway.” The Thomas Dimitroff Jeanna Thomas of The Falcoholic: “I heard a really interesting statistic last night on some show on ESPN that I was not actually watching. It was so interesting, in fact, that even though I have no idea what show it was or who actually mentioned this particular gem of a statistic, I decided to write about it, anyway. I was brushing my teeth, and in the next room, my husband was watching some show, on which some guy said that if the Falcons can score 30 points against the Lions, the Falcons will definitely emerge victorious.” The Marty Hurney Cat Scratch Reader: “Prior to the start of the season the Panthers were determined to have the hardest Strength of Schedule in the NFL. Now that we've played the first seven weeks of the season it would appear the schedule is not quite as hard as we thought it would be. Through 7 games the Panthers opponents are 22-18, a 55% winning percentage but it only gets easier from here. The Panthers 9 remaining opponents have a 30-31 record (49%).” The Mickey Loomis Mike Triplett of The Times-Picayune: “New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said he will likely have to remain in the upstairs coaching booth on game days until December, depending on how long it takes him to recover from leg surgery. But whenever he gets the green light, he will indeed return to the sideline.” The Mark Dominik Bucs Nation: “Kellen Winslow Jr. was a special player when he came into the league. He was a truly dynamic player who could become the best pass-catching tight end in the league. Then he got on his motorcycle and destroyed his knee. Complications and idiotic medical practices by the Cleveland Browns worsened that condition.” The Rod Graves Jess Root of Revenge of The Birds: “A frustrated Ken Whisenhunt suggested that changes could be coming. "We've got to look at everything we're doing and look at the guys that we're doing it with. I think it's not just one position, it's a number of positions. That's what we're trying to do to put our best guys in there to give us a chance to win," he said after the game.” The Billy Devaney Ryan Van Bibber of Turf Show Times: “The night before their sixth shellacking of the 2011 NFL season, head coach Steve Spagnuolo took his St. Louis Rams team to the ballpark in Arlington, TX, to watch game three of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. A trip to watch the Cards play was supposed to be therapeutic as well as inspirational. Obviously, the effect was lost on the Rams the next day.” The Trent Baalke Kevin Lynch of The San Francisco Chronicle: “Alex Smith had a vision of his former self with his less than stellar performance in Detroit, and that’s why the seven-year veteran threw often during the bye week. Even though the 49ers beat the Lions with a 6-yard pass from Alex Smith to Delanie Walker in the final two minutes, Smith wasn’t pleased with his performance. He told general manager Trent Baalke after the game he could have played much better.” The John Schneider Danny O’Neil of The Seattle Times: “The news didn't get any better for the Seahawks one day after their 6-3 loss in Cleveland. Not in terms of Leon Washington's 81-yard punt return for a touchdown, which was nullified by a block-in-the-back penalty against Kennard Cox. "I didn't think that was a call that should have been made," coach Pete Carroll said. "That was unfortunate." The penalty was called near midfield, and replays showed minimal contact between Cox and the Browns' Kevin Dockery who may not have been able to make the play.”

Even in a bye week, the Bills have hit the pause button on contract talks with Ryan Fitzpatrick but sources say he could be soon saying hello to a new deal that will secure him as the team's starting QB beyond 2011. The two sides made enough progress the previous two weeks on a new contract that sources believe a new deal valued among the "second-tier" starting quarterbacks that would average between $9M and $12M is within reach when the team regroups next week. The team and player would like to secure a new deal by the time the Bills take the field Week 8 against the Redskins, sources said.

The AFC The Buddy Nix Jay Skurski of Buffalo News: “At least for the short term, running back CJ Spiller has a new position on the Buffalo Bills. Spiller, the Bills’ first-round pick in the 2010 draft, played wide receiver in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. That’s where he’ll stay for now, according to coach Chan Gailey.” The Jeff Ireland The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “The Miami Dolphins running game was one of the lone bright spots in Monday night's game against the Jets. Tailback Reggie Bush entered Monday night averaging 3 yards per carry but increased that with a productive first quarter against the Jets.” The Jonathan Kraft Richard Hill of Pats Pulpit: “Sunday marked the 16th time in the regular season a former Patriots coach under Bill Belichick has returned to face their old team as either a lead coordinator or a head coach. Some names are familiar, such as Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Josh McDaniels.” The Mike Tannenbaum Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News: “If anybody was frightened by Brandon Marshall's vow to play like a monster, it wasn't Darrelle Revis. The Jets' cornerback embraced the challenge of playing opposite the self-proclaimed beast, and then robbed his Halloween candy.” The Ozzie Newsome Baltimore Beatdown: “There is something about playing your former team. From Pop Warner on up to the NFL there is nothing sweeter than sticking it to the guys that thought they could go on with out you. Bernard Pollard and Vonta Leach did just that on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.” The Mike Brown Ryan Harper of Cincy Jungle: “After six games the Bengals have already matched their win total from last season. They are riding a three-game win streak and currently trail the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have both made relatively smooth transitions from college to professional football and overall the team has been performing well against their opponents. Everything seems to be falling into place, right?” The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “There's the panic button! I admit that I was ready to hit it when I did not see running back Peyton Hillis in the game during the second and third quarters yesterday. It seemed like a mystery, and because the cameras showed Hillis standing on the sideline with his helmet in hand, I thought that something had happened between he and head coach Pat Shurmur that put him in the doghouse.” The Kevin Colbert Neal Coolong of Behind The Steel Curtain: “Steelers veteran and captain Hines Ward was on The Jungle on the Jim Rome Show this afternoon. He gave some Hines-like positive sentiment and provided plenty of reasons why Steeler Nation has cheered for him harder and longer than perhaps any other player on the roster. He did admit this contract will be his last. Ward doesn't have any plans to continue playing after his contract expires.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “The Ravens may end up having one of the better defenses in recent NFL history this season, the Texans played without Andre Johnson or Mario Williams, and a win on the road against a formidable foe would have changed the way people around the NFL see the Texans.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “Before we start clamoring to blow up the team, let's slow down and take a deep breath. Adam Schefter's idea that the Colts should trade Mathis and Wayne is in keeping with the wildly overstated purported demise of the franchise and the panicked nature surrounding the organization.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “The Jacksonville Jaguars are the worst passing team in the NFL. They're second to last in the NFL in points per game. Outside of the running game with Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars offense is... well, awful.” The Mike Reinfeldt Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean: “The Titans aren’t sure if Texans receiver Andre Johnson will be back for Sunday’s game at LP Field, but they learned a lesson from their 38-17 loss to the Steelers. “After all the talk about who might play and might not play for the Steelers, whoever lines up we have to be ready,” safety Michael Griffin said. “It doesn’t matter who is playing.” The Steelers were without several starters but whipped the Titans on Oct. 9.” The Brian Xanders Sayre Bedinger of Mile High Report: “It's the beginning of the beginning for the Denver Broncos, and while the timing isn't conventional, they are letting the team know that it's time to step up or you are not going to be part of the future.” The Scott Pioli Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride: “It's Oakland Raiders week for the Kansas City Chiefs and, even though both teams have struggled in recent years, it's still a heck of a rivalry, one that still gets us pumped up. It's even better this year now that both teams are (somewhat) competitive and in a meaningful AFC West race.” The Al Davis Rich Langford of Silver And Black Pride: “There is no particular reason to post this, other than the fact I resent Michael Crabtree for laughing when the Raiders selected Darrius Heyward-Bey over him. Well, that and the fact that the selection was widely panned.” The Dean Spanos Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune: “A strained calf and a concussion slowed their assault on the record book, but Chargers running backs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert returned to practice Monday and, seemingly fully healthy, are still on track to cover more ground through the air than any running back tandem in NFL history.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Blogging The Boys: “Coming into the 2011 season, most Cowboys fans believed the star-studded offense would have to carry the team. The defense was atrocious in 2010 and would also need time to learn the new Rob Ryan scheme.” The Jerry Reese Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News: “We all knew Hakeem Nicks was off to a good start this season. How good? The bye gave us some chance to crunch some numbers. And with 508 receiving yards in six games, the third-year receiver is on pace to finish with 1,354 yards. That would break Amani Toomer's nine-year-old single-season team record for receiving yards (1,343).” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “When the Eagles shuffled Todd Herremans over to LT and started Winston Justice at RT, it looked like a recipe for disaster. As it turned out, it was anything but. In fact, you might even say it was the best performance we've seen from the line all season. When you consider that it was against such a good defensive front, it's all the more impressive.” The Bruce Allen Mike Jones of The Washington Post: “Washington Redskins inside linebacker and defensive captain London Fletcher expects his team to rebound from Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and put together a strong performance against the Carolina Panthers this weekend.” The Jerry Angelo Dan Pompei of The Chicago Tribune: “On the 32 plays when Jay Cutler either dropped back or lined up in shotgun Sunday against the Vikings, the Bears protected him with six or more blockers 75 percent of the time.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride Of Detroit: “The reason the news about Jahvid Best's latest concussion didn't come until early Monday morning is because he didn't actually experience any symptoms until after the 49ers game, according to Jim Schwartz.” The Mark Murphy Acme Packing Company: “One topic discussed was the game by LB Clay Matthews. I read a couple of "Clay is back" articles on Monday. He was able to tip multiple passes, but I've seen him with a few near deflections this season. He recorded one sack, but that was a coverage sack. He was getting pressure on the quarterback, but he's been doing that over the past few games anyway. Was this his best game of the season, or just another strong game?” The Mark Wilf Shari L. Gross of The Star Tribune: “Jared Allen says when your team is as bad as the Vikings, things have to change and Brian Robison has a special message for players already looking ahead to the 2012 season.” The Thomas Dimitroff D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “After another poor showing on third down, the Falcons defense slipped into last place in the league in third-down efficiency. Teams are converting 49 percent of their third downs against the Falcons.” The Marty Hurney Cat Scratch Reader: “I would have to agree the Panthers were missing some basic fundamentals in stopping [Michael] Turner on those stretch plays to the outside. The DE's were getting sealed off and the LB's were a step too slow to the edge. Throw in a failure to wrap up and you have Run Stopping 101 rules being violated just about every running play.” The Mickey Loomis John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: “If the lesson learned by the New Orleans Saints from Sunday is that they don't wear flame-retardant uniforms, then falling into second place in the NFC South might have been worth it.” The Mark Dominik Bucs Nation: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won 13 of 21 games over the past year and a half before coming into yesterday's contest against the New Orleans Saints. Amazingly of those 13 wins, only one came against a team that finished the season with a winning record, or that had a winning record going into the game.” The Rod Graves Revenge Of The Birds: “I am sick of hearing the Cardinals are done and garbage and have no chance to win. All these "They suck posts" are really pissing me off. I have been watching the Cardinals football for a long while and at some times it was hard to call it football but some of these fans are ridiculous. "Fire Whisenhunt,” "Kevin Kolb sucks,” "Switch back to a 4-3" and "Start Trading Away Guys" is what I am hearing. I won't begin to dismantle these statements instead here is how the Cardinals can beat the Steelers.” The Billy Devaney Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The newest Rams wide receiver, Brandon Lloyd, had 1,448 yards receiving and 11 TDs in just one season — 2010. So, yes, in acquiring Lloyd from the Denver Broncos on Monday, the Rams added much-needed experience and play-making potential to their youthful receiver corps.” The Trent Baalke The San Francisco Chronicle: “One day later, in keeping with NFL custom, the 49ers reflected. They relished their spirited pass rush Sunday in Detroit, savored their game-winning touchdown, bemoaned their barrage of penalties - and vowed (sort of) to work on the post-game handshake.” The John Schneider The Field Gulls: “A couple of weeks ago, some VMAC reporters were asking Pete Carroll about how the NFL has changed in terms of the growth of the passing game since his time in New England. Pete last coached in New England in 1999, sandwiched in between the reigns of Parcells and Belichick. I would be lying to you if I didn't wonder sometimes if Pete's unique philosophies will work in the modern NFL.”

Bills starting outside linebacker Shawne Merriman won't play in Sunday's game at the Giants because of an Achilles tendon injury. Merriman's Achilles flared up during Thursday's practice, and he was held out of Friday's practice altogether.

Bills starting outside linebacker Shawne Merriman will likely miss Sunday's game at the Giants because of an Achilles tendon injury. Merriman missed Wednesday's practice because of a shoulder injury, but coach Chan Gailey said Merriman's Achilles flared up during Thursday's practice, forcing him to miss Friday. He finished last season on injured reserve because of a nagging injury to his right tendon.

For the first time this season, there were teams inactive in Week 5. Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, St. Louis and Washington were all off. Buffalo 31, Philadelphia 24 Trench Counter: Bills -2.9, Eagles +2.9 The Buffalo Bills (4-1) bounced back after their first loss of the season to hand the Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) their fourth consecutive defeat. The Bills led 28-7 midway through the third quarter, but Michael Vick and the Eagles staged a near comeback over the final 22 minutes at Ralph Wilson Stadium. On Philadelphia's final drive, the Bills wrestled a pass from Jason Avant for Vick's fourth interception of the afternoon. Then, on fourth-and-inches near midfield, the Bills lined up to go for it and drew the Eagles offside to seal the win. Philadelphia had close to 500 yards of total offense, but their five turnovers doomed them against the Bills. Three of their first four drives ended in an interception and three of their turnovers occurred on Buffalo's side of the field. Fred Jackson was the star of the game for the Bills, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown and catching six passes for 85 yards. Kansas City 28, Indianapolis 24 Trench Counter: Chiefs +6, Colts -6 Looking for their first win, the Indianapolis Colts (0-5) jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but Matt Cassel took over to lead the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) to a comeback win on Sunday afternoon. Cassel went 21-for-29 with 257 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second half. Jackie Battle rushed 19 times for 119 yards (nearly surpassing his career total) and Dwyane Bowe hauled in seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Curtis Painter didn't commit a turnover and averaged 10.3 yards per pass, but the Colts had eleven fewer first downs than the Chiefs and only averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Joseph Addai left with a hamstring injury after totaling 19 yards on six touches. Pierre Garcon continued his connection with Painter, catching five passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota 34, Arizona 10 Trench Counter: Vikings +20.4, Cardinals -20.4 The Minnesota Vikings (1-4) got into the win column thanks to a dominant performance by Adrian Peterson against the Arizona Cardinals (1-4). Peterson rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns as Minnesota averaged 4.6 yards per rush. Donovan McNabb was also dangerous through the air, throwing for 169 yards and an eight-yard average. The Vikings also took care of the ball with just one turnover, a fumble by wide receiver Michael Jenkins. Arizona couldn't get much going because of their four turnovers. Kevin Kolb had three (two interceptions and a fumble) with 232 yards on 21-for-42 passing. He was replaced by Richard Bartel on the team's final possession and the reserve had an interception among his six pass attempts. The Cardinals had 291 total yards (just 41 fewer than the Vikings), but they punted five times and had drives stalled by miscues. Seattle 36, N.Y. Giants 25 Trench Counter: Seahawks +1.5, Giants -1.5 The Seattle Seahawks (2-3) used two touchdowns in the final three minutes to record an upset win over the New York Giants (3-2). Trailing 25-22 after a Lawrence Tynes field goal with 4:49 left in regulation, Charlie Whitehurst connected with Doug Baldwin for the go-ahead score and Brandon Browner returned an Eli Manning interception 94 yards for a touchdown to put the game away a little more than a minute later. Whitehurst was on the field because of a chest injury suffered by starter Tarvaris Jackson. Whitehurst finished 11-for-19 with 149 yards and a score. Manning had a huge afternoon, throwing for 420 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had three interceptions and lost a fumble. In the game's final 12 minutes, the Giants saw Victor Cruz fumble a reception, Tynes kick a field goal and Manning throw two interceptions. Pittsburgh 38, Tennessee 17 Trench Counter: Steelers +14.7, Titans -14.7 Injuries were not a problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) as they coasted against the Tennessee Titans (3-2) at Heinz Field. Without Rashard Mendenhall and a number of key defenders, Ben Roethlisberger went 24-for-34 with 228 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. The Steelers averaged 6.2 yards per rush and 7.3 yards per pass. Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman filled in for Mendenhall with 156 yards on 26 carries. The Titans scored first with a 29-yard field goal by Rob Bironas, but Pittsburgh scored four straight touchdowns to seize control of the game. Tennessee had just one turnover and nearly as many first downs as Pittsburgh, but they punted four times thanks to nine penalties and Matt Hasselbeck's 29-for-49 performance with just 4.9 yards per pass. New Orleans 30, Carolina 27 Trench Counter: Saints -4.8, Panthers +4.8 The Carolina Panthers (1-4) stormed back after an early deficit, but Drew Brees connected with Pierre Thomas for a 6-yard touchdown with less than minute remaining to give the New Orleans Saints (4-1) a thrilling win. The Panthers averaged more than seven yards per offensive play, but they punted once more than the Saints and the defense couldn't stop Brees on the winning drive. Brees went 32-for-45 with 359 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while rookie Cam Newton stole the show with his play. Newton had 224 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing seven times for 27 yards and a score. DeAngelo Williams helped balance Carolina's attack with nine rushes for 115 yards and a score. The Saints used up 6:16 on their game-winning drive, running 13 plays for 89 yards. Cincinnati 30, Jacksonville 20 Trench Counter: Bengals -5.4, Jaguars +5.4 Don't look now, but the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) have a winning record after their comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at EverBank Field. Jacksonville led 13-7 before Cincinnati rookie Andy Dalton connected with Jermaine Gresham for a touchdown right before halftime. The Bengals scored 23 of the game's final 30 points. The two teams managed just 25 first downs between them and Cincinnati had just 239 yards of total offense thanks to low averages on the ground (2.5) and through the air (4.9). Blaine Gabbert was a little better in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks, but Dalton earned the victory. Gabbert went 15-for-28 with 221 yards and a touchdown, while Dalton had 179 yards, two scores and an interception on 21-for-33 passing. Oakland 25, Houston 20 Trench Counter: Raiders -8.6, Texans +8.6 The Oakland Raiders (3-2) used a strong defensive second half to defeat the Houston Texans (3-2) in a close battle. The Raiders allowed a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but limited the Texans to just two field goals over the final thirty minutes. Houston was strong defensively as well, holding Oakland to just 11 first downs. Matt Schaub went 24-for-51 with 416 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and a 7.9 yards per pass average. Without Andre Johnson (hamstring), Schaub leaned on Arian Foster (five catches for 116 yards), Joel Dreessen (112 yards and a touchdown) and Owen Daniels (seven receptions for 89 yards). Over a stretch that spanned the second and fourth quarters, the Texans punted in six of eight possessions. San Francisco 48, Tampa Bay 3 Trench Counter: 49ers +31, Buccaneers -31 The San Francisco 49ers (4-1) thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) at Candlestick Park in impressive fashion. The 49ers racked up 28 first downs, 418 total yards, averaged 9.3 yards per pass, 5.9 yards per rush and forced three turnovers. Alex Smith had 170 yards and three touchdowns and rookie Colin Kaepernick got some late action as he threw his first NFL passes. Tampa Bay got their only points on a 24-yard field goal by Connor Barth with 3:58 left in the first quarter. Josh Freeman struggled, posting 187 yards and two interceptions. Leading comfortably in the second half, San Francisco didn't take their foot off the gas. Vernon Davis caught two touchdown passes from Smith in the second half and backup running back Anthony Dixon scored on a one-yard run with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter. The 49ers rushed for 213 yards, including 125 from Frank Gore. San Diego 29, Denver 24 Trench Counter: Chargers +9.2, Broncos -9.2 The San Diego Chargers (4-1) survived what may go down as the beginning of the Tim Tebow Era for the Denver Broncos (1-4). The Chargers racked up more than 400 yards of total offense, averaging 7.3 yards per pass and 4.8 yards per rush. San Diego held the football for more than forty minutes and didn't commit a single penalty, which allowed them to overcome their -1 turnover margin. After a poor first half, Kyle Orton was replaced by Tebow, who nearly led the Broncos to a stunning comeback victory at Sports Authority Field in Colorado. Tebow led a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, pulling Denver to within two at one point. He rushed for a 12-yard score and connected with running back Knowshon Moreno for a 28-yard catch-and-run on the team's next possession. Tebow led the Broncos 51 yards down field to San Diego's 29-yard line before time expired. New England 30, N.Y. Jets 21 Trench Counter: Patriots +13.8, Jets -13.8 After nearly coughing up an early 10-0 lead, the New England Patriots (4-1) held on to hand the rival New York Jets (2-3) another disappointing defeat. Tom Brady and New England's passing game was effective yet again as he threw for 321 yards (8.9 average), a touchdown and an interception. The difference, though, was BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two scores. Every time the Jets scored to trim New England's lead, the Patriots answered shortly after. Mark Sanchez and the Jets looked better offensively than they have early in the season. The quarterback went 16-for-26 with 166 yards and two touchdowns, which allowed Shonn Greene to total 83 yards and a score on 21 rushes. However, New York punted seven times as they were just 3-for-11 on third down. Green Bay 25, Atlanta 14 Trench Counter: Packers +8.3, Falcons -8.3 The Atlanta Falcons (2-3) jumped out to a 14-0 lead at home, but the Green Bay Packers (5-0) were patient as they stayed perfect with a comeback win. Atlanta scored touchdowns on their first two possessions before punting five times and enduring two Matt Ryan interceptions. Ryan was just 18-for-32 with 167 yards, a touchdown and the two turnovers as he was overshadowed by Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers went 26-for-39 with 396 yards and two touchdowns, averaging, 9.5 yards per pass. Green Bay struggled on ground, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, but Rodgers and their defense gave them enough to win. After falling behind, the Packers scored 25 unanswered points. Atlanta did have success getting to Rodgers, though, sacking him four times and hitting him on eight more occasions.